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Friday, December 19, 2014

Golden Tote December 2014 Review

I've been thinking about trying Golden Tote for ages! This review is for the $49 December 2014 version of the Tote and I snagged it when they had a deal running. They would add an extra piece to the bag if you ordered on Dec. 1st. So I did!
I haven't seen any Golden Tote reviews for the $49 option so I'm posting this now, in case someone is wondering and in hopes that someone who also got this tote got the same extra item as I did.

So Golden Tote is not a subscription. Each month, the curators come out with a new line-up of items and if you get the $49 version, you can pick one piece of clothing and the rest are surprises. If you get the $149 version, you get to pick two items out of what is available and the rest are a surprise.

Now, usually I feel like Golden Tote has "old lady" clothes. They aren't really my style (what little I have) and it seems most of their clothes are shapeless and baggy. Half the time the model looks like she's wearing a sack. Lots of people love these styles and I'm not knocking them. I'm just saying that while I've wanted to try this Tote, I've been having a hard time finding a collection that I would pay $49 for.

But with the deal of getting an extra item, I found something I would like and took the plunge. Here is the item I chose for my first Golden Tote.

Here is the description:

This super cozy, oversized cardigan goes with everything. Pair it with dresses or jeans, even wear it as a robe over your coziest pajamas. By Roly Poly.

60% cotton, 40% acrylic

Hand wash cold

Model is wearing a size small

Runs true to size with an oversized fit

Length from shoulder to bottom, size small is 32"

It has dolman sleeves, its HUGE (and I got the small), it currently static-clings to everything under the sun, the sleeves are 3/4 length and it is ridiculously comfortable. I really wish that the hem was the same length all the way around. It's actually much longer in the front than in the back. Which would have been nice to know in the description, along with the whole dolman sleeves part.

So, I kind of don't like it but I kind of do because its warm and cozy and the sort of thing I can lump around the house in.

Value: $38

On to the items I didn't pick. This is a Le Lis black and ivory crochet long sleeve top. It's see-through because it's crocheted lace but it's pretty and has interesting textures. I can't find it on their website to show you a better photo. The shoulders are black pleather and the sleeves and neckline are gray cotton. Seems like a weird combo but it actually works for me!

This actually fits perfectly. It drapes beautifully. Obviously, I have to wear something underneath but it hangs so nicely that it's not going to cling to whatever I decide to wear. I'm actually surprised by how much I like this. It's fairly long, too.

I can't find this on their site to value it.

Last but not least, a long sleeve olive green and orange shirt by Roly Poly. This is too small (and its a medium!) for me. It's skin tight and the sleeves are suffocating. And I have skinny arms! I don't actually mind the colors, if it fit, I would wear it.

Since Golden Tote is an all-or-nothing purchase, I can return the whole thing or keep it all. I'm going to keep it because that huge dolman sleeved cardigan has grown on me. I also like the crocheted top since it fits so perfectly.

I'm just wondering if I actually got a free item or not. It does say 2-3 items so I suppose I could have only been supposed to get two and they put something else in which (duh!) makes three. I honestly have no clue and the invoice gives no hint of it.

VERDICT: I don't think I would do Golden Tote again. It's a good way to get clothing that's more out of the ordinary and I like the fact that you can make a choice of your own but I'm still on the fence.

It's nice that it's not a subscription and so I can check every month and make my decision (usually no) but it was fun to try just to get an idea of what could be sent. I've seen some complaints that the quality isn't very high. I don't think the Roly Poly olive green and orange top is high quality but it's not scraps. I have a feeling the cardigan is going to pill but I think the crochet top is very nicely made.

You can see what Golden Tote has to offer right here. They've got a little boutique, too, if you're curious. They have a super cute swing dress called Priddy by Puella that I like. It's oversized and baggy like a lot of the items they sell.

So! What have you enjoyed from your Golden Totes? What do you think of the quality? *referral links were used in this post

6 comments:

i ordered my first $49 golden tote last week, too, but i haven't received it yet. now i'm super paranoid. i see all these bloggers raving about every single item they receive, so what the heck?! i ordered xs in everything, since it looks like i could swim in all of their items. if i don't like what i get, i will sadly never get another one again :( i really want to love Golden Tote... I'm so sorry you didn't like your items :(

I know, I see those reviews, too! But I can't tell if my opinions are so different because I have no style or what. And it's funny, because it's not that I didn't like them. They're just not really "me" so I don't have an accurate way to gauge them beyond how they fit.The "Everyday Cardigan" description on their site is really incomplete. It should mention things like the dolman sleeves and the hi-lo cut! I'll be curious to see what you get since two of the pieces I received aren't on their site. Maybe that's normal?

I always do a $49 tote which seems to be a chosen and a surprise (and you will never see the surprise items on the Golden Tote site). Your green top was the extra for Cyber Monday, and I have seen a lot of people say that that top runs small. Your surprise item looks really awesome and I have not seen anyone else show that one yet!

Ah! Okay, thank you for telling me! I was really curious. So the $49 is usually 2 items? It makes sense because I think both the sweater and the crochet top would be worth that much for sure. I wish they had them on the site but mostly so that I could give a better idea of what they look like. I'm so TERRIBLE at clothing photos. I've been playing with undershirt colors for the crochet top. The more I wear it, the more I like it :D

Well, I might have to do it again even though I said I wouldn't just to get the "true" Tote. I just have a hard time finding even one thing I like. But it's interesting that the surprise items are not shown. That actually gives me a little more hope because sometimes I look at everything and am not interested in any of it. Hm... :)